The LG G2's little sibling

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The LG G2 Mini is a fine example of a mid or low-end smartphone and shows just how far we have come in the last year. All manufacturers have benefited from having much better components available to them this year but LG has done a fine job packaging them up into the G2 Mini.

The size and shape of the phone, along with LG's generally helpful software enhancements make the G2 Mini a genuinely pleasant phone to use. Only the lack of auto brightness really detracts from the experience.

Superb battery life and a usable camera are welcome additions as is the excellent build quality, but the price you pay for these is a relatively higher purchase cost than some competitors.

We liked

Amazing battery life gives the G2 Mini unusually long endurance and allows you to go for two days fairly easily between charges.

The camera is surprisingly usable for a phone at this price point and in reasonable lighting conditions it won't let you down.

The performance of the G2 Mini in day-to-day usage is excellent. This is a smartphone that won't disappoint someone coming from a last year's high-end devices.

We disliked

The screen resolution is not high enough and that low pixel density becomes a problem too often.

Some of the software enhancements seem to add very little other than to bloat the device. The design of LG's Optimus UI is not as good as stock Android. The lack of auto brightness for the screen is an annoying omission, which seems like a mistake from LG.

LG has priced the G2 Mini a little higher than some competitors and too close to the G2, making the value proposition tough to swallow.

Final verdict

Ultimately it is hard to recommend the G2 Mini over something like the Motorola Moto G, which has a superior screen, similar performance and very good battery life. Only the camera on the LG device is clearly better.

This doesn't tell the whole story though, as the G2 Mini is a very nice device to use and has a compelling overall proposition. It just lacks a few key refinements and could do with either packing a higher resolution screen or a lower price to really be a standout device.